What are the first four books of the New Testament? | Reference.com What are the first four books of the New Testament? A: Quick Answer The first four books of the New Testament are the book of Matthew, the book of Mark, the book of Luke and the book of John. These four books present the ministry of Jesus Christ and are known as the historical books. Full Answer The book of Matthew presents Jesus as the messiah of the Jewish people. The book of Mark also presents details in the ministry of Jesus and describes the persecution of his followers. The book of Luke presents a rebuttal to the attacks of non-followers of Jesus. The book of John describes certain events of Jesus' life that are not present in the previous three books. The New Testament The New Testament Basic Facts of the Faith: Old or New Testament? INTRODUCTION The Bible has two main parts. The first part is called the Old Testament. The second part is the New Testament. The New Testament contains 27 books. It begins with Matthew and ends with Revelation. These books were written by 8 men. These men wrote what God told them to write. The New Testament books were written in the Greek language. Later the New Testament books were translated into other languages.

The New Testament is divided into 4 main sections. These sections are: The Gospels, History, Epistles, and Prophecy. THE GOSPELS The first 4 books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are called the gospels. The word "gospel" means "good news." These books tell us the good news of the coming of Christ to save man from his sins. These books also tell us of the birth, life, teachings, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The authors of the gospels are the same as the title of each book. HISTORY The book of history in the New Testament is Acts of the Apostles. It is often called the book of ACTS. This book was written by Luke. It tells of the beginning of Christs church in Acts, chapter 2. Throughout the rest of the book, it tells how the church spread throughout the world. Acts tells many things that Peter and Paul did. The book of Acts also tells and shows us how people became Christians. Acts is often called the book of conversions. This is because it has so many examples of people being converted to Christ. The following verses are examples of how people became Christians.

You should study them carefully. A. Acts 2:36-38, 41-42, 47 Corinthians The word "epistle" means "letter." There are 21 epistles in the New Testament. The epistles of the New Testament can be divided into 2 groups: the Epistles of Paul and the General Epistles. The apostle Paul wrote 13 of the 21 epistles. They are: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Some believe Paul also wrote Hebrews. Pauls epistles were written to individual persons and some to certain churches. Here is a brief summary of each book that Paul wrote: Romans: Chapters 1-11 show that we are saved by faith. Chapters 12-16 are given to encourage the Romans to live the Christian life. 1 and 2 Corinthians: These books were written to the church at Corinth. Paul started this church. First Corinthians tells of the many problems the church had. Paul tells them to correct them.

Second Corinthians shows that some of these problems had been overcome. Galatians: This letter shows that Christians do not live under the law of Moses. Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians: These letters were written while Paul was in prison at Rome. The letters tell us that unity should be among Christians and that Christ is above and over all. 1 and 2 Thessalonians: These letters deal with the second coming of Christ. Some Christians had stopped working. They thought that Christ was to come again very soon. Paul told them this was not true. 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus: Timothy and Titus were two young preachers. They had been helping churches that Paul had established. He gave them much advice. Philemon: Philemon was a Christian. He had a slave by the name of Onesimus. Onesimus ran away from Philemon. Paul met Onesimus and converted him. Paul then wrote a letter to Philemon asking him to take Onesimus back as a brother in Christ. Hebrews: This epistle shows clearly the greatness of Christs law over the law of Moses.

James ; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, and 3 John; Jude: These books are called the General Epistles. Each book is named after its author. Here is a brief summary of each book: James:He was a brother of Christ. The book was written to Jews who had become Christians. One of its main teachings is that faith without works is dead. 1 Peter: This book was written to encourage those who were being persecuted (harmed). It shows that it is good to suffer for Christ. 2 Peter: Warning is given against false teachers. It also teaches concerning the second coming of Christ. 1, 2, and 3 John: First John is mostly about love. Second John is the shortest book in the Bible. It is written to "the elect lady." Third John is written to Gaius. John praises Gaius for his love for the Lord. Gaius is warned against Diotrophes. Jude: False teachers had come into the church. Jude wrote in order to encourage Christians to fight for the faith once for all revealed to Gods people. Jude teaches us that we must oppose error, even within the Lords church.

PROPHECY The book of Revelation is a book of prophecy. It was written by John. It tells us about the things that "must shortly come to pass." Revelation is written in symbolic language. Most of Revelation should not be interpreted as it is stated. A person must understand what the symbols mean. Only then can he interpret it properly. Also, many of the things mentioned have already happened. STUDENT INFORMATION The New Testament--Its First Four Books Know Your Bible—Part VII The New Testament—Its First Four Books THE new testament part of the Bible is similar to the Old in that it is made up of historical, prophetic, doctrinal, and devotional truths. But in the New Testament the proportions of these important elements of Truth are somewhat different. There is less that is historical and prophetic, and more that is doctrinal and devotional. A considerable portion of the historical records which appear in the New Testament call attention to the fulfillment of certain important prophecies of the Old Testament. This is particularly true of the first four books, known as the four “Gospels,” and respectively written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

These ‘Gospels’ record the life and teachings of Jesus, and by comparing them with the prophecies of the Old Testament confirm the fact that he came to earth in fulfillment of the promises of God—that he was indeed the foretold Messiah whom the Creator had sent to redeem and bless the world. In the great theme of redemption and restoration which is presented throughout the entire Bible, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are fundamentally important events, and in God’s providence the vital truths pertaining thereto have been set forth in no uncertain terms by those godly men who wrote the four Gospels. To some extent these four accounts of the life of Jesus are repetitious, but there is much that is different in each of them, and this is particularly true with respect to the manner in which each writer deals with the subject matter in hand. Matthew presents Jesus as the foretold King, whom God had promised would come through the line of David—the One who would be “born King of the Jews.”—Matt. 2:2 When we think of a king there is associated in our minds the idea of a kingdom, and in Matthew’s record of Jesus’ life we find him quoting much that Jesus said pertaining to the kingdom of promise.

The Prophet Isaiah, in foretelling the birth of Jesus, and the great objective of his birth, wrote that “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” (Isa. 9:7) Matthew emphasizes that Jesus was the promised King in this kingdom, or ‘government,’ and that through him all the reassuring promises of God were to be fulfilled. Many of the parables of Jesus are introduced by the expression, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto.’ But to understand these parables it is essential to realize that many of them are illustrative, not of the glory and power of the kingdom, but of its slow stages of development; and some of them, in fact, of satanic efforts to counterfeit the real kingdom, these fraudulent and unholy efforts also being given the name kingdom. The first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel traces the genealogy of Jesus, beginning with Abraham. The second chapter relates the appearance of the “wise men,” and how Herod used them in an attempted attack on the life of the newborn king. In relating this episode, Matthew calls attention to the manner in which it fulfilled one of the Old Testament prophecies.

See Matthew 2:17,18; Jeremiah 31:15,16. Matthew records some of the experiences and teachings of John the Baptist, the last of the prophets, and informs us that Jesus went to this servant of God to be immersed. It was following his baptism that Jesus was tempted by the great adversary from three different standpoints. One of these was in an offer of an easy and quick way to become king of earth. Satan said to him, “All these things [the kingdoms of this world] will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Matt. 4:8,9) Jesus refused. He knew that he was to become king of earth, but he wanted it to be in God’s due time and way. Beginning with the fifth chapter, Matthew records Jesus’ famous sermon on the mount, in the beginning of which he sets forth what are commonly known as the Beatitudes, or ‘blessings.’ These, from their various standpoints, call attention to the essential qualifications of those whom God can use to be “the light of the world.” (Matt.

5:14) The record of the sermon on the mount continues nearly to the close of the seventh chapter, where Jesus is quoted as saying: “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”—vss. 24-27 Beginning with chapter eight and through many of the remaining chapters of the book, Matthew records daily experiences in the life of Jesus—the miracles which he performed, the parables which he related to illustrate one or another of his kingdom teachings, his enlightening discussions with his disciples, and his verbal encounters with his enemies, the scribes and Pharisees.

Five days before his crucifixion Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass and his disciples and friends acclaimed him as King. But the religious rulers of Israel refused to recognize him as such. Instead, they plotted his death and succeeded in bringing about his crucifixion. Matthew records these developments in simple, yet dramatic style. During these last days of his earthly life, and in the shadow of the cross, Jesus gave utterance to the most outstanding prophecy to be found anywhere in the Bible. Matthew records it in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five. It was given in response to questions asked him by his disciples pertaining to the time of his return and the end of the age (mistranslated “world” in the King James Version).—Matt. 24:3 In this prophecy many of the outstanding developments of our times are accurately foretold. He speaks of a time of “tribulation” so great that unless brought to an end by Divine intervention, it would result in “no flesh” being saved. (vss. 21-22) Today men fear that nuclear bombs might yet destroy the entire human race.

The last three chapters record some of the incidents which occurred at the Last Supper, Jesus’ Gethsemane experience, his trial, Peter’s denial, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Jesus voluntarily gave himself up to his enemies to be killed. He did this because he knew that it was his Heavenly Father’s will that he die as the Redeemer of the world from sin and death. But Jesus, by the power of God, was raised from the dead, and in the closing words of his narrative Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, after his resurrection, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) It is this power which will yet be manifested in the blessing of all the families of the earth, as promised by God through the mouth of all his holy prophets. The Book of Mark THE Book of Mark, or, as its heading appears in the Bible, “The Gospel According to St. Mark,” is also a record of the life, work, and teachings of Jesus. Like Matthew, Mark also presents Jesus as the One who had come to fulfill the Messianic promises of the Old Testament.

In the second verse of the opening chapter Mark writes, “As it is written in the prophets,” and he quotes Old Testament prophecies which foretold the coming and ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, and shows how these prophecies were fulfilled by the ministry of John.—Mal. 3:1; Isa. 40:3 The plan of God for human salvation from sin and death calls for miracle-working power, and emphasizes the fact that man cannot extricate himself from the result of his sin. Mark’s record of the life of Jesus calls special attention to the fact that Jesus, in his ministry, did utilize Divine power, that the things he did on behalf of the people were beyond human ability to accomplish. It is against this background that Mark records the warning Jesus gave to the scribes and Pharisees who claimed that he was using the power of Satan to perform the miracles which so greatly benefited the people. In this warning, Jesus indicated that the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees was a sin against the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit (many times mistranslated ‘Ghost’ in the New Testament) is the holy power of God, and this power was unmistakably manifested in the miracles which Jesus performed. The scribes and Pharisees were acquainted with the Old Testament prophecies and with the manner in which God worked through his special servants. Therefore, there was no legitimate reason why they should misconstrue the evidence of Jesus’ messiahship which was so clearly demonstrated by the miraculous works associated with his ministry. To charge that he utilized the power of Satan made them all the more reprehensible, hence the suggestion by Jesus that they were committing a sin against the Holy Spirit which could not be forgiven.—Mark 3:22-30 Many of the miracles performed by Jesus were illustrative of the manner in which Divine power will be used throughout the thousand years of his reign to heal the sick and to raise the dead. One of the Old Testament prophecies pertaining to the blessings of Christ’s kingdom likens the kingdom to a “mountain,” and the promise is that in this ‘mountain’ the Lord will make unto all people a “feast of fat things.”—Isa.

25:6-8 The ‘feast of fat things’ will include many wonderful blessings for which the world has longed, being climaxed by the destruction of death and the wiping away of tears from off all faces. It will indeed be a wonderful ‘feast,’ and it might well have been this viewpoint of kingdom blessings which Jesus illustrated by the miracle in which he fed the entire multitude, although having only a few loaves and fishes to start with. Jesus performed two such miracles, and Mark records both of them. See Mark 6:35-46; 8:1-9 John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, when announcing him said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:1,2) Jesus is the great king in this kingdom, and in order to demonstrate his Divine appointment to this high position he not only preached the Gospel of the kingdom, but gave illustrations of the manner in which his kingdom would bless the people when, in God’s due time, it would be established in power and in great glory.

As the record of his life shows, Jesus also taught that some time would elapse before these kingdom blessings would reach the people on a worldwide scale as the prophecies had foretold. During this waiting period, a further work of preparation for the kingdom was to be accomplished. This was to involve the calling out from the world a company of people who would demonstrate their worthiness to reign with him in his kingdom by their willingness to follow in his footsteps, laying down their lives sacrificially with him.—Ps. 50:5; II Tim.

2:11,12 It was this phase of the Divine plan which Jesus taught when he said to the young rich man, “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21) Wholeheartedness on the part of those who take up their cross to follow Jesus was illustrated by his reference to the widow who gave all that she had, even though her all was but ‘two mites.’ Mark records this lesson, which we quote: “Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”—Mark 12:41-44 In the closing chapters of the book, Mark records the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, even as Matthew does. Jesus’ ministry was performed in the Spirit, and by the authority, of his Heavenly Father. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and raised the dead. He set forth the Divine principles of righteousness as a guide to holy living. He engendered in the hearts of his faithful disciples the hope of reigning with him in his kingdom, inviting them to prove their worthiness by first suffering and dying with him. Then Jesus surrendered to his enemies and they put him to death. He died to take the sinner’s place in death, and thus prepare the way for the future restoration of the dead to life.

That this will be quite within the capability of Divine power was demonstrated by the fact that Jesus Christ himself was raised from the dead. The record of this mighty miracle, as recorded not only by Mark, but also by Matthew, Luke, and John, serves as a fitting climax to the Master’s ministry of miracles, and serves as the final demonstration that he was indeed the Messiah of promise. Luke’s Gospel THE word gospel means ‘good tidings,’ so the word is very appropriate as a description of Luke’s record of the birth and ministry of Jesus. In the second chapter, he records the angelic message to the shepherds, when one of them announced the birth of Jesus, saying, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”—Luke 2:10 While all four of the Gospel writers are harmonious in their accounts of the essential facts concerning Jesus’ life and ministry, in the providence of the Lord each one sets forth certain points omitted by the other.

Thus, by having all four of these records, we are furnished with all the needed information concerning the ‘greatest life ever lived.’ The ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, is shown by Mark’s Gospel to be a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, but Mark tells us nothing concerning the circumstances leading up to the birth of John the Baptist. This information is furnished by Luke. See Luke 1:5-80 It is in Luke’s record that we are given the account of Jesus’ birth, and the circumstances which led up to this humble entrance of the King of Glory into this world of sin. (ch. 2:1-14) These accounts are not unrelated incidents in the life of the greatest personality the world has ever known. However interesting and thrilling they are, the important thing to keep in mind is to realize that these stories are all related to the one great theme of the entire Bible, which is the redemption and restoration of a lost race. As we learned in our brief examination of the Book of Genesis, after relating the story of the creation of man and his fall into sin and death, we are given the promise concerning a “seed” that would bring deliverance.

In Genesis 12:3 and 22:18 it is identified as the ‘seed’ of Abraham, and in reality Jesus was that promised seed. In relating the birth of Jesus, Luke assures us of a forward step in the great plan of God to bring deliverance to the race, a deliverance from sin and death. This indeed was the core of the angel’s message of ‘good tidings’—a Savior had been born, one who would save the people from their sins.—Luke 2:10 As we looked briefly through the books of the Old Testament we discovered many promises concerning the coming Messiah and Deliverer. It was foretold that he would be born in Bethlehem, that he would be the King of kings, and the Prince of Peace. The opening books of the New Testament point out the beginning of the fulfillment of these wonderful promises, and we begin to see their reality. Luke, however, records a lesson given by Jesus which was calculated to teach that although he was the promised Messiah (Christ in the New Testament), they were not to expect his kingdom to be established immediately. First there was to be an age of sacrifice and suffering on the part of his followers.

This is recorded in chapter nine, verses eighteen through twenty-four. Peter had identified Jesus as the Messiah of promise, and we read that then Jesus “straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing.” He explained that “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” Then Jesus told his disciples that if they desired to be his disciples it would be necessary for them to follow him into death, to “take up” their “cross daily.” He added, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (vss. 23,24) This means that during the present age the only way to have life through Jesus is the way of joint-sacrifice with him. Jesus taught, not only that he would suffer and die, but that all his true followers during the present Gospel Age would likewise be persecuted and have their names cast out as evil.

But it will not always be thus with those who serve the Lord, for the Prophet Isaiah foretold a time when the Lord would take away the “rebuke” of his people from off “all the earth.”—Isa. 25:8 Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross is familiar to many. It is Luke who records this promise, and the circumstances leading up to it. However, a misunderstanding of the plan of God led the translators to place the punctuation improperly, so that a wrong thought is conveyed. There was an inscription at the head of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, which read, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Luke 23:38) The thief was dying, and he grasped at this slim straw of hope that if Jesus were actually a king there might be something he could do for him. Jesus answered, “Verily I say unto thee today, Thou shalt be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Notice that we have placed the comma after the word ‘today’ rather than before it. This is in keeping with the fact that Jesus did not at once go to paradise, but was during parts of three days in the grave.

Foreknowing this, Jesus in his great faith was able to say, “Today,” even this day, “I say unto thee, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This was fully in harmony with the thief’s request to be remembered in Jesus’ kingdom, for it will be that kingdom which will restore paradise conditions worldwide. The thief will be there because he will be awakened from the sleep of death, and he will be given an opportunity to enjoy the blessings of that kingdom. John’s Record AS WE have seen, none of the Gospel records of Jesus’ life contain all the details of what he said and did. John’s is the least complete of them all. Nearly two-thirds of the whole book is concerned with the last six months of Jesus’ life, and one-third is the Master’s last week on earth. In all four Gospels Jesus is referred to as the King of promise, the Son of Man, and also the Son of God. John, however, emphasizes a little more than do the other writers the fact that Jesus was the Son of God.

He begins his account on this theme, informing us that Jesus, known as the “Word” (John 1:1)—Logos in the Greek language—was the “only begotten of the Father.”—vs. 14 A faulty translation of the Greek text in this opening chapter of John’s Gospel misleads the reader into the belief that the ‘Word’ which was “made flesh” was the Almighty God himself, rather than the Son of God. But this is not what John taught. According to the Greek text, what he really wrote was that the Logos was “a” god, that he was associated with “the” God in the original work of creation, and that now he had been “made flesh.” (John 1:1,2, Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott, Interlinear) This makes the account harmonious with the remainder of the Bible, which shows the clear distinction between the Heavenly Father and his beloved Son.

It is in John 3:16 that we read those well-known words, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In this, and in other wonderful ways, John identifies Jesus as the one who had come to fulfill the great purpose of God to restore the human race to life through the work of a Redeemer and Savior. It is John who relates the well-known conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (the ruler in Israel who went to the Master by night). (ch. 3:1-13) Jesus explained to Nicodemus that in order to enter the kingdom of God he would need to be “born again.” Nicodemus could not understand this, so Jesus explained that he did not refer to a second physical birth, but to being born on a higher, spiritual plane. Jesus illustrated the powers possessed by those who are ‘born again’ by indicating that they are invisible to human eyes, that they can come and go as the wind.

He experienced Spirit birth himself when he was raised from the dead, and all four of the Gospels reveal that he was then able to go and come as the wind, for while he remained with his disciples forty days, they saw him only on a few brief occasions. It is John who records that marvelous miracle, the awakening of Lazarus from the sleep of death. (ch. 11:1-46) Lazarus, it will be recalled, was the brother of Martha and Mary, and Jesus loved the entire family. But when Lazarus became ill the Master did not go to him at once. Instead, he allowed him to die, explaining that it was for “the glory of God.” This became apparent when Lazarus was restored to life. Jesus referred to Lazarus as being “asleep.” This is in keeping with the general teachings of the Bible on the subject of death. The Lord considers the dead as merely sleeping because provision has been made through the redemptive work of Christ to restore them to life. They are not dead forever. Martha understood this, and said to Jesus concerning her brother, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”—vs.

24 The ‘last day’ referred to by Martha is the final age in the Divine plan of redemption and restoration. It will be during that day that “all that are in the graves” will hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall come forth. (John 5:28,29) The King James Version says that those who have done evil shall come forth to the resurrection of “damnation.” This is an erroneous translation. The Revised Standard Version gives us the proper thought by using the word “judgment.” The last day is to be a trial, or judgment period. John’s Gospel is the only one which contains so many of the wonderful lessons Jesus imparted to his disciples in the ‘upper room’ the night before he was crucified. This is recorded beginning with chapter thirteen and running through chapter seventeen, the latter containing a wonderful prayer with which he closed the service. These are among the most beautiful chapters in the entire Bible, and the sayings of Jesus found therein have comforted thousands throughout the age. Chapters eighteen through to the end of the book record the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as some of his final instructions to his disciples.

Jesus’ discussion with Peter is particularly touching, and also revealing. Peter was commissioned to feed the Lord’s “sheep” and “lambs,” indicating that there was a work of preparation to be done ere the kingdom of Christ would be established for the blessing of all the families of the earth.—John 21:15-17 New Testament Books New Testament Books In the New Testament God's love letter to people comes with the most wonderful gift of all—His Son Jesus! The Bible is written so each person can live a great life, get to know God, and live with Him forever! The New Testament, the last half of the Bible, is made up of 27 books. These books tell about when the, Jesus, God's son, took on an earth suit and became a man, and became the Rescuer for all people when He died on the cross to save us from the effects of our sin. Hint: To find a certain book in your Bible, most Bibles begin with a list of the books of the Bible and the page number they are in that Bible, to help when you are looking up scripture verses.

When the scripture reference is "John 3:16," the verse can be found in the book of the Bible of John, 3rd chapter and the 16th verse. This following list of the Books of the Bible include the name, the main content, the number of chapters, and the book's abbreviation or short version. Gospels Gospel means "good news." These 4 books tell the good news about when Jesus became our Rescuer. Matthew, Mark, and Luke often tell about the same events, but from different viewpoints. The book of John focuses mainly on the time of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The title of each of the Gospels is the name of the author. Each book is easy to read and life changing in its contents. 1. Matthew: Jesus' Birth, Miracle Ministry, Death, Resurrection, Ascension; 28 chapters; Matt. 2. Mark: Jesus' Miracle Ministry, Death, Resurrection, Ascension; 16 chapters; Mk. 3. Luke: Jesus' Birth, Miracle Ministry, Death, Resurrection; 24 chapters; Lk. 4.

John: Jesus' Miracle Ministry, Death, Resurrection, Ascension; 21 chapters; Jn. History of the Rescue Squad The book of Acts tells about the exciting beginning of the Rescue Squad (Church) in Jerusalem and as it spread to the other parts of the world. It was written by Dr. Luke. 5. Acts: Jesus' ascension, The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Rescue Squad (the Church) on Pentecost, Paul's conversion, Missionary trips of Peter and Paul; 28 chapters ; Acts Letters to the Rescue Squads As the Rescue Squad (the Church) grew from Jerusalem, to Samaria, and began spreading to the rest of the know world, letters of encouragement were written to the Rescue Squads or Churches 6. Romans Paul's letter to the church at Rome; Romans 8 is the favorite chapter; 16 chapters; Rom. 7. 1 Corinthians Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth; I Cor. 13 is the love chaper and is often read at weddings; 16 chapters; 1 Cor. Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth; 13 chapters; 2 Cor.

Paul's letter to the church in Galatia; 6 chapters; Gal. 10. Ephesians Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus; we love this book—Gary loves Eph 2 and I love Eph 3; 6 chapters; Eph. Paul's letter to the church in Philippi; 4 chapters; Phil. Paul's letter to the church in Colossi; 4 chapters; Col. Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica; 5 chapters; 1 Thes. Paul's second letter to the church in Thessalonica; 3 chapters; 2 Thes. Paul's first letter to Timothy; 6 chapters; 1 Tim. Paul's second letter to Timothy; 4 chapters; 2 Tim. Paul's letter to Titus; 3 chapters; Tit. Paul's letter to Onesimus, a runaway slave; 1 chapters; Phil. Probably Paul is the author of this letter to Jewish Christians; 13 chapters; Heb. A letter to Christians written by James, the half-brother of Jesus; 5 chapters; Jam. A letter to Christians by Peter the apostle; 5 chapters; 1 Pet.

A second letter to Christians by Peter the apostle; 3 chapters; 2 Pet. 23. 1 John A letter to Christians by John the apostle; John is much older when he writes this letter about love; 5 chapters; 1 Jn. A second letter to Christians by John the apostle; 5 chapters; 1 Jn. A letter to Christians by John the apostle; 5 chapters ; 1 Jn. A letter to Christians by Jude the half-brother of Jesus; 1chapter; Jude 27. Revelation John the apostle saw a vision of Jesus, who told John of things in the future: Jesus' triumph & His coming back, Satan sent to Hell, Eternity—Heaven or Hell?; 22 chapters; Rev. The Canon of the New Testament, by F.F. Bruce The Canon of the New Testament By F. F. Bruce Chapter 3 in The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (5th edition; Leicester: Intervarsity Press, 1959). Even when we have come to a conclusion about the date and origin of the individual books of the New Testament, another question remains to be answered.

How did the New Testament itself as a collection of writings come into being? Who collected the writings, and on what principles? What circumstances led to the fixing of a list, or canon, of authoritative books? The historic Christian belief is that the Holy Spirit, who controlled the writing of the individual books, also controlled their selection and collection, thus continuing to fulfil our Lord's promise that He would guide His disciples into all the truth. This, however, is something that is to be discerned by spiritual insight, and not by historical research. Our object is to find out what historical research reveals about the origin of the New Testament canon. Some will tell us that we receive the twenty-seven books of the New Testament on the authority of the Church; but even if we do, how did the Church come to recognise these twenty-seven and no others as worthy of being placed on a level of inspiration and authority with the Old Testament canon?

The matter is oversimplified in Article VI of the Thirty Nine Articles, when it says: 'In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.' For, leaving on one side the question of the Old Testament canon, it is not quite accurate to say that there has never been any doubt in the Church of any of our New Testament books. A few of the shorter Epistles (e.g. 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, James, Jude) and the Revelation were much longer in being accepted in some parts than in others; while elsewhere books which we do not now include in the New Testament were received as canonical. Thus the Codex Sinaiticus included the 'Epistle of Barnabas' and the Shepherd of Hermas, a Roman work of about AD 110 or earlier, while the Codex Alexandrinus included the writings known as the First and Second Epistles of Clement; and the inclusion of these works alongside the biblical writings probably indicates that they were accorded some degree of canonical status.

The earliest list of New Testament books of which we have definite knowledge was drawn up at Rome by the heretic Marcion about 140. Marcion distinguished the inferior Creator-God of the Old Testament from the God and Father revealed in Christ, and believed that the Church ought to jettison all that appertained to the former. This 'theological anti-semitism' involved the rejecting not only of the entire Old Testament but also of those parts of the New Testament which seemed to him to be infected with Judaism. So Marcion's canon consisted of two parts: (a) an expurgated edition of the third Gospel, which is the least Jewish of the Gospels, being written by the Gentile Luke; and (b) ten of the Pauline Epistles (the three 'Pastoral Epistles' being omitted). Marcion's list, however, does not represent the current verdict of the Church but a deliberate aberration from it. Another early list, also of Roman provenance, dated about the end of the second century, is that commonly called the 'Muratorian Fragment,' because it was first published in Italy in 1740 by the antiquarian Cardinal L. A. Muratori.

It is unfortunately mutilated at the beginning, but it evidently mentioned Matthew and Mark, because it refers to Luke as the third Gospel; then it mentions John, Acts, 'Paul's nine letters to churches and four to individuals (Philemon, Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy), Jude, two Epistles of John, and the Apocalypse of John and that of Peter.' The Shepherd of Hermas is mentioned as worthy to be read (i.e. in church) but not to be included in the number of prophetic or apostolic writings. The first steps in the formation of a canon of authoritative Christian books, worthy to stand beside the Old Testament canon, which was the Bible of our Lord and His apostles, appear to have been taken about the beginning of the second century, when there is evidence for the circulation of two collections of Christian writings in the Church. At a very early date it appears that the four Gospels were united in one collection. They must have been brought together very soon after the writing of the Gospel according to John.

This fourfold collection was known originally as 'The Gospel' in the singular, not 'The Gospels' in the plural; there was only one Gospel, narrated in four records, distinguished as 'according to Matthew,' 'according to Mark,' and so on. About AD 115 Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, refers to 'The Gospel' as an authoritative writing, and as he knew more than one of the four 'Gospels' it may well be that by 'The Gospel' he means the fourfold collection which went by that name. About AD 170 an Assyrian Christian named Tatian turned the fourfold Gospel into a continuous narrative or 'Harmony of the Gospels,' which for long was the favourite if not the official form of the fourfold Gospel in the Assyrian Church. It was distinct from the four Gospels in the Old Syriac version.

It is not certain whether Tatian originally composed his Harmony, usually known as the Diatessaron, in Greek or in Syriac; but as it seems to have been compiled at Rome its original language was probably Greek, and a fragment of Tatian's Diatessaron in Greek was discovered in the year 1933 at Dura-Europos on the Euphrates. At any rate, it was given to the Assyrian Christians in a Syriac form when Tatian returned home from Rome, and this Syriac Diatessaron remained the 'Authorised Version' of the Gospels for them until it was replaced by the Peshitta or 'simple' version in the fifth century.

By the time of Irenaeus, who, though a native of Asia Minor, was bishop of Lyons in Gaul about AD 180, the idea of a fourfold Gospel had become so axiomatic in the Church at large that he can refer to it as an established and recognised fact as obvious as the four cardinal points of the compass or the four winds: For as there are four quarters of the world in which we live, and four universal winds, and as the Church is dispersed over all the earth, and the gospel is the pillar and base of the Church and the breath of life, so it is natural that it should have four pillars, breathing immortality from every quarter and kindling the life of men anew. Whence it is manifest that the Word, the architect of all things, who sits upon the cherubim and holds all things together, having been manifested to men, has given us the gospel in fourfold form, but held together by one Spirit. When the four Gospels were gathered together in one volume, it meant the severance of the two parts of Luke's history. When Luke and Acts were thus separated one or two modifications were apparently introduced into the text at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts.

Originally Luke seems to have left all mention of the ascension to his second treatise; now the words 'and was carried up into heaven' were added in Luke xxiv. 51, to round off the narrative, and in consequence 'was taken up' was added in Acts i. 2. Thus the inconsistencies which some have detected between the accounts of the ascension in Luke and Acts are most likely due to these adjustments made when the two books were separated from each other. Acts, however, naturally shared the authority and prestige of the third Gospel, being the work of the same author, and was apparently received as canonical by all except Marcion and his followers. Indeed, Acts occupied a very important place in the New Testament canon, being the pivotal book of the New Testament, as Harnack called it, since it links the Gospels with the Epistles, and, by its record of the conversion, call, and missionary service of Paul, showed clearly how real an apostolic authority lay behind the Pauline Epistles. The corpus Paulinum, or collection of Paul's writings, was brought together about the same time as the collecting of the fourfold Gospel.

As the Gospel collection was designated by the Greek word Euangelion, so the Pauline collection was designated by the one word Apostolos, each letter being distinguished as 'To the Romans,' 'First to the Corinthians,' and so on. Before long, the anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews was bound up with the Pauline writings. Acts, as a matter of convenience, came to be bound up with the 'General Epistles' (those of Peter, James, John and Jude). The only books about which there was any substantial doubt after the middle of the second century were some of those which come at the end of our New Testament. Origen (185-254) mentions the four Gospels, the Acts, the thirteen Paulines, 1 Peter, 1 John and Revelation as acknowledged by all; he says that Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, James and Jude, with the 'Epistle of Barnabas,' the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, and the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews,' were disputed by some. Eusebius (c.

265-340) mentions as generally acknowledged all the books of our New Testament except James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, which were disputed by some, but recognised by the majority. Athanasius in 367 lays down the twenty-seven books of our New Testament as alone canonical; shortly afterwards Jerome and Augustine followed his example in the West. The process farther east took a little longer; it was not until c. 508 that 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude and Revelation were included in a version of the Syriac Bible in addition to the other twenty two books. For various reasons it was necessary for the Church to know exactly what books were divinely authoritative. The Gospels, recording 'all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,' could not be regarded as one whit lower in authority than the Old Testament books. And the teaching of the apostles in the Acts and Epistles was regarded as vested with His authority. It was natural, then, to accord to the apostolic writings of the new covenant the same degree of homage as was already paid to the prophetic writings of the old.

Thus Justin Martyr, about AD 150, classes the 'Memoirs of the Apostles' along with the writings of the prophets, saving that both were read in meetings of Christians (Apol i. 67). For the Church did not, in spite of the breach with Judaism, repudiate the authority of the Old Testament; but, following the example of Christ and His apostles, received it as the Word of God. Indeed, so much did they make the Septuagint their own that, although it was originally a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for Greek-speaking Jews before the time of Christ, the Jews left the Septuagint to the Christians, and a fresh Greek version of the Old Testament was made for Greek speaking Jews. It was specially important to determine which books might be used for the establishment of Christian doctrine, and which might most confidently be appealed to in disputes with heretics. In particular, when Marcion drew up his canon about AD 140, it was necessary for the orthodox churches to know exactly what the true canon was, and this helped to speed up a process which had already begun.

It is wrong, however, to talk or write as if the Church first began to draw up a canon after Marcion had published his. Other circumstances which demanded clear definition of those books which possessed divine authority were the necessity of deciding which books should be read in church services (though certain books might be suitable for this purpose which could not be used to settle doctrinal questions), and the necessity of knowing which books might and might not be handed over on demand to the imperial police in times of persecution without incurring the guilt of sacrilege. One thing must be emphatically stated. The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a canonical list; on the contrary, the Church included them in her canon because she already regarded them as divinely inspired, recognising their innate worth and general apostolic authority, direct or indirect. The first ecclesiastical councils to classify the canonical books were both held in North Africa — at Hippo Regius in 393 and at Carthage in 397 — but what these councils did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities but to codify what was already the general practice of those communities.

There are many theological questions arising out of the history of the canon which we cannot go into here; but for a practical demonstration that the Church made the right choice one need only compare the books of our New Testament with the various early documents collected by M. R. James in his Apocryphal New Testament (1924), or even with the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, to realise the superiority of our New Testament books to these others. A word may be added about the 'Gospel according to the Hebrews' which, as was mentioned above, Origen listed as one of the books which in his day were disputed by some. This work, which circulated in Transjordan and Egypt among the Jewish Christian groups called Ebionites, bore some affinity to the canonical Gospel of Matthew. Perhaps it was an independent expansion of an Aramaic document related to our canonical Matthew. It was known to some of the early Christian Fathers in a Greek version. Jerome (347-420) identified this 'Gospel according to the Hebrews' with one which he found in Syria, called the Gospel of the Nazarene, and which he mistakenly thought at first was the Hebrew (or Aramaic) original of Matthew.

It is possible that he was also mistaken in identifying it with the gospel according to the Hebrews; the Nazarene Gospel found by Jerome (and translated by him into Greek and Latin) may simply have been an Aramaic translation of the canonical Greek Matthew. In any case, the Gospel according to the Hebrews and the Gospel of the Nazarenes both had some relation to Matthew, and they are to be distinguished from the multitude of apocryphal Gospels which were also current in those days, and which have no bearing on our present historical study. These, like several books of apocryphal 'Acts,' and similar writings, are almost entirely pure romances. One of the books of apocryphal Acts, however, the 'Acts of Paul,' while admittedly a romance of the second century, is interesting because of a pen-portrait of Paul which it contains, and which, because of its vigorous and unconventional character, was thought by Sir William Ramsay to embody a tradition of the apostle's appearance preserved in Asia Minor.

Paul is described as 'a man small in size, with meeting eyebrows, with a rather large nose, bald-headed, bowlegged, strongly built, full of grace, for at times he looked like a man, and at times he had the face of an angel'.

Question: What is the title shared by four books of the New Testament?
Answer: John